Scores of coronavirus patients in the North-Eastern Nigerian state of Gombe staged a protest against poor health care by authorities. – By Gerald Gekara
The patients who had contracted the virus took to the highways, and freely mingled with residents in the village of Kwadon, near the capital.
The state’s health commissioner, Ahmed Gana, told the media that the patients were asymptomatic and did not require any treatment. The authorities also denied the allegation of lack of proper feeding.
Even after persuading the ailing patients back to the hospital, the health workers are concerned of a possible spread of the virus to the village, hence backtracking progress made to keep them safe.
The state has asked all the villagers who contacted the protesters to self quarrantine for 14 days, in order to avoid further spread.
Gombe state has so far confirmed about 100 coronavirus cases against a national tally of 2,950.